ALBANY -- The suspension of an Albany County Stop-DWI official stemmed from allegations that she took part in tape-recording then-Sheriff James L. Campbell as they discussed her use of fraudulent addresses to make it appear she is a county resident.

Two people with knowledge of the matter said the 30-day suspension on Friday of Erin M. Loffredo, the DWI victims' coordinator, was based on a departmental policy that prohibits employees from tape-recording one another.

Craig Apple, the former undersheriff designated to handle the duties of sheriff, confirmed Monday that an employee was suspended for violating a departmental order, but he declined further comment. "It's a personnel matter," he said.

The suspension came as a spokeswoman for the district attorney's office said prosecutors are continuing to review allegations that Loffredo submitted forged documents, including a state driver's license, to qualify for her county job. A 1995 resolution by the county legislature requires employees to live in the county.

Sheriff's investigators launched a probe of Loffredo's credentials two months ago following a Times Union story that raised questions about her residency. During the probe they discovered a copy of her driver's license on file with the county that contained what appeared to be a forged address.

Public records show Loffredo has been a registered voter and homeowner in Rensselaer County since the early 1990s. Apple said she was ordered by the county on Friday to obtain residency in Albany County within a month or face possible termination. The county has taken no action against Loffredo related to her falsified residency documents, but sheriff's officials in June said they had referred the matter to prosecutors.

In a related action Friday, 1st Sgt. Leonard J. Crouch, Loffredo's former supervisor, was fired as the county's Stop-DWI coordinator. Records show Crouch notarized Loffredo's two-page employment application in 2004, on which she listed a senior housing complex in Colonie as her address.

Loffredo later changed that address on file with the county human resources department to a residence owned by Crouch's mother-in-law in Colonie. Several months ago, after the Times Union requested copies of Loffredo's employment application, she changed her address to 25 Kraft Ave. in Colonie. Loffredo's husband operates a commercial business at that location, which is in a warehouse district. Erin and Richard Loffredo have owned a residence in Averill Park since at least 1995, according to public records.

"The matter is under review," said Heather Orth, a spokeswoman for the district attorney's office.

Loffredo has not been served with any disciplinary charges related to her residency issues, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Loffredo's attorney, Cheryl Coleman, has acknowledged her client used "numerous" false addresses. But on Monday Coleman said that Loffredo had not forged her driver's license and only became aware recently that it had been done. "We can prove who did it and she did not have knowledge of it," Coleman said.

Crouch was an "at-will" employee and not protected by civil service rules. Sheriff's officials fired him after he declined to resign as the department investigates any role he may have had in Loffredo's residency claims and also whether he helped her secretly tape the sheriff.

Loffredo and Crouch allegedly made the tape in early June when Loffredo met with Campbell about her residency. A person with knowledge of the matter said Coleman has sought to use the recording as leverage with both the district attorney's office and county officials.

Loffredo's meeting with Campbell took place at the Stop-DWI headquarters in Cohoes a day before Campbell, 71, abruptly announced his retirement from the job he'd held since 1990.

Coleman claims Campbell knew Loffredo was a resident of Averill Park when she was hired as victims' coordinator in 2004.

She also charged that Campbell knew Loffredo had listed her residence as the senior housing complex when she was hired. The job application contains a warning above the signature line that false statements are punishable as a misdemeanor and grounds for termination.

"I anticipate at some point in time this week we will reveal the entire details of the transaction that actually went on," Coleman said. "She was directed, she was told, not only to do this but she was told exactly what to do, which address to use ... by the sheriff, and it doesn't end there."

"This is a matter being handled by the sheriff's department," Rehfuss said, declining further comment.

Several weeks ago, Coleman allowed a sheriff's investigator and a county attorney to listen to portions of the taped conversation. A person briefed on what those officials heard said Loffredo can be heard urging the sheriff to confirm that he knew she was not a resident of Albany County when she accepted her $52,865-a-year job. The person also said a voice that appears to be Crouch's can be heard at the beginning of the recording testing the recording device.

Campbell appointed Crouch, a former Albany police commander, as Stop-DWI coordinator in 2007. Crouch was deputy coordinator of the program for about three years before that, including at the time Loffredo applied for the victims coordinator job.

Loffredo, 51, has been a registered voter in Rensselaer County since March 29, 1993, according to the Board of Elections.

On Monday, Denis Foley of Bethlehem, who was Crouch's predecessor as Stop-DWI coordinator, returned to the job on an interim basis to help run the embattled program, Apple said.